Park Theatre has unveiled an exciting lineup of five new shows, including two timely revivals and the winner of the Papatango New Writing Prize. This marks the first collaboration between Park Theatre and Papatango Theatre Company, presenting The Meat Kings! (Inc.) Of Brooklyn Heights by Hannah Doran, running throughout November.
2026 will kick off with the return of Troupe Theatre, following their successful Forsyte Saga, with Noël Coward’s The Rat Trap on its 100th anniversary. Additionally, a revival of Athol Fugard’s The Train Driver will celebrate his work after his passing earlier in the year. The summer season will feature Steel by Lee Mattinson, and a special fundraiser with Dame Maureen Lipman.
Maureen Lipman & Friends: Poetry & Jazz (11 May) promises an evening of joyous entertainment with British poets Jeremy Robson and Pauline Prior-Pitt, multi-award-winning vocalist Jacqui Dankworth, acclaimed American jazz pianist Charlie Wood, British jazz stalwart Art Themen on sax, and centenarian actress Thelma Ruby. The event will support Park Theatre’s initiatives, including programmes for those living with dementia and their carers, and access performances.
Steel (11 – 14 June) comes to Park Theatre as part of its national tour presented by Theatre by the Lake. Lee Mattinson’s play, set on the wet West Cumbrian coast, follows mates James and Kamran on a town-wide treasure hunt where annihilated aunties, Snakebite-drenched drag queens, and a zombie Princess Diana lay in wait. The play explores themes of first loves, forging identities, and the wild hearts of teenage boys.
For the inaugural partnership between Park Theatre and Papatango Theatre Company, winning play The Meat Kings! (Inc.) Of Brooklyn Heights (30 Oct – 29 Nov) delves into America’s anti-immigration policies and the brutal sacrifices driving the pursuit of prosperity. T, the new summer hire at Cafarelli & Sons, navigates life in a messy cutting room with alliances forming, romance sparking, and loyalties shifting.
Kicking off 2026, The Train Driver (14 Jan – 7 Feb) is a revival of Athol Fugard’s exploration of guilt, suffering, racial intolerance, and the bonds between strangers, based on a true story. Roelf, the train driver, searches for the identities of victims after a tragic incident, encountering an old gravedigger named Simon who helps him unburden his conscience.
Returning to Park Theatre after their successful Forsyte Saga, Troupe will revive Noël Coward’s The Rat Trap (28 Jan – 14 Mar) on its 100th anniversary. Set in 1920s Belgravia, the play follows Sheila, a novelist, and Keld, an aspiring playwright, as professional jealousy and an affair impact their marriage.
Artistic Director Jez Bond said, “I’m pleased to announce four plays and a fundraiser – with both spaces boasting a piece of new writing and a revival to enthral our audiences. We’re pleased to be working with two producers new to us, to begin a partnership with Papatango and to welcome back Troupe Productions (following their success with The Forsyte Saga). As we enter our thirteenth year, and arts funding seems more challenging than ever, we’re honoured by the continued support of our fabulous friends of stage and screen; and are delighted to welcome back Maureen Lipman and friends for a fundraising evening of poetry and jazz.”
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
